Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña Says Blue Beetle Would Be In Eagle Fang Dojo

Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña has opened up about his upcoming role as Jamie Reyes, a.k.a Blue Beetle, and stated that he thinks the teenage superhero would be a member of the Eagle Fang dojo. The actor is set to take on the titular role of the alien tech-powered hero when Blue Beetle premieres in theaters next year. Currently, Mariduena can be seen in his role as Miguel Diaz in Cobra Kai, one of Netflix’s highest rated and most popular shows.

Jamie Reyes a.k.a Blue Beetle is a beloved DC superhero. A frequent member of the Teen Titans team of superheroes, he wears a suit of alien armor powered by the “scarab” that has bonded with his body. In his comic book origin, Reyes inherits the Blue Beetle armor after the death of Ted Kord – the first DC hero to don the Blue Beetle mantle. Through his Blue Beetle armor, Reyes can manifest numerous gadgets and pieces of high-tech weaponry. Still, a major element of his arc as a hero is his struggle to control the armor due to the scarab’s own autonomy over the suit. Outside of the comics, Reyes has appeared in Smallville and (perhaps most notably) Young Justice.

Now, with Maridueña poised to join the DC world, all eyes are on how he will portray Jaime Reyes when he finally dons the Blue Beetle mantle. However, with the star now well-known for his Cobra Kai role, the young actor was questioned about how he feels the two projects might intersect. In a recent interview with Variety, the actor was asked which Cobra Kai dojo Reyes would train at, and Maridueña noted the character would likely be a member of Eagle Fang, due to his “chaotic” nature. Maridueña explained:

“I feel like he might be a little bit Eagle Fang. He’s not as naive. I feel like a Peter Parker would be Miyagi-Do. Of the teenage superheroes, Jaime would be in the Eagle Fang boat — a little chaotic, spontaneous, sly, a little cornball.”

So much like his Cobra Kai character, the young actor seems to think that Reyes would work well as a member of Eagle Fang run by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). However, he was also quick to note that a character like Peter Parker/Spider-Man (another similar teenage superhero) has a personality more akin to the Miyagi-Do dojo, run by Ralph Macchio’s Daniel LaRusso. As many Cobra Kai fans will note, the dojos operate in a similar way to Hogwarts houses, drawing in teenagers with specific personality traits that suit the overall group.

Maridueña’s comments are important, since they may give audiences a clue as to what he will bring to his performance as Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle. Considering his remarks about Reyes as a good fit for Eagle Fang, it could indicate that he will portray Reyes as a brash and impulsive hero with plenty of street smarts. That said, only time will tell, as audiences have yet to see any glimpses at the upcoming Blue Beetle film. In the mean time, viewers can continue to study Maridueña’s Cobra Kai performance for glimpses into how the young actor is training himself up to take on the DC hero.

Source: Variety